Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Associated to Fruits and Vegetables Consumption in Elderly Europeans: A Systematic Review
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Show full item recordEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Elderly people Fruits and vegetables consumption Socioeconomic factors Demographic factors Systematic review
Date
2023-02-15Referencia bibliográfica
Kouiti, M... [et al.]. Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Associated to Fruits and Vegetables Consumption in Elderly Europeans: A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 3442. [https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043442]
Sponsorship
Vegetables for Better Aging: Improving The Quality Of Eating Practices Among Elderly; Bonduelle Foundation (2020–2022). Research Project I+D+I 2019; Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain; Research Project I+D+I 2019; Cod. 10.13039/5011000011033, The Ministry of Science and Innovation, SpainAbstract
Several epidemiological studies stress the association between a diet based on high fruits
and vegetables intake and a better health condition. However, elderly Europeans cannot manage the
recommended fruits and vegetables consumption. This systematic review aims to explore the main
factors related to fruits and vegetables consumption in elderly Europeans. We conducted literature
searches on Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to May 2022. Published articles
including data related to certain fruits and vegetables consumption among elderly Europeans were
selected. The New Castle-Ottawa Scale and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute tools were
used for methodological quality assessment by two authors independently. A total of 60 articles
were retrieved, and data from twenty-one high-quality cross-sectional studies and five moderate-tohigh-
quality cohort studies, including a total of 109,516 participants, were synthesized. Associated
factors mostly analyzed were those relating to demographic and socioeconomic status, such as sex,
age, marital status, educational level, and income. However, the findings show a high discrepancy.
Some evidence suggests a possible positive association, while other evidence shows an inverse or no
association at all. The relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors with fruits and
vegetables consumption is not at all clear. More epidemiological studies with an appropriate design
and corresponding statistical methods are required.